Tag: American history

Battles of December 13 plus museums and artwork information

Battles of December 13 including descriptions of the battles, geographic locations, associated artwork, and museums where a person can find associated artifacts and artwork.

1. The Battle of Nanking (Fall of Nanking)

  • Date: November 11 – December 13, 1937
  • War: Second Sino-Japanese War
  • General Location: Nanjing (Nanking), Jiangsu Province, China
  • Geographic Coordinates: 32°02′38″N 118°46′43″E
  • Cause: The Imperial Japanese Army advanced upon Nanking (Nanjing), the capital of the Republic of China, intending to force a Chinese surrender after the bloody Battle of Shanghai.
  • Result: Japanese victory. The city fell on December 13, leading immediately to the Nanking Massacre (Rape of Nanking), where hundreds of thousands of civilians and disarmed soldiers were murdered by Japanese troops.
  • Recommended Book: The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II by Iris Chang
Paintings & Artwork
  • Painting: Deliverance
    • Artist: Christian Poirot
    • Year: 2015 (A massive oil painting donated to the Memorial Hall to mark the 70th anniversary).
  • Painting: Flower Market (Nanjing 1936) #2
    • Artist: John Young
    • Year: 2010 (Part of the “Safety Zone” series reflecting on the tragedy).
Museums with Artifacts
  • Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders (Nanjing, China)
    • Collections: Built on a site where thousands were buried, this museum houses bones of victims, historical documents, photographs, and artifacts detailing the battle and subsequent massacre.
  • Nanjing Museum (Nanjing, China)
    • Collections: While a general history museum, it holds significant artifacts from the Republican era and the 1937 defense of the city.

2. The Battle of the River Plate

  • Date: December 13, 1939
  • War: World War II
  • General Location: South Atlantic Ocean, off the estuary of the River Plate (near Uruguay and Argentina)
  • Geographic Coordinates: 34°34′00″S 48°17′00″W
  • Cause: Allied hunting groups were searching the South Atlantic for the German “pocket battleship” Admiral Graf Spee, which had been raiding merchant shipping.
  • Result: A tactical stalemate but a strategic British victory. The Graf Spee was damaged and forced to dock in Montevideo, Uruguay. Believing he faced a superior force, the German captain scuttled his ship days later.
  • Recommended Book: The Battle of the River Plate by Dudley Pope
Paintings & Artwork
  • Painting: HMS Achilles in the Battle of the River Plate
    • Artist: Frank Norton
    • Year: 1940
  • Painting: The Battle of the River Plate
    • Artist: Norman Wilkinson
    • Year: c. 1940
Museums with Artifacts
  • National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy (Auckland, New Zealand)
    • Collections: Houses the primary 6-inch gun director and other artifacts from HMNZS Achilles, one of the cruisers that fought the Graf Spee.
  • Falkland Islands Museum (Stanley, Falkland Islands)
    • Collections: Holds items related to HMS Exeter, which retreated to the Falklands after being heavily damaged in the battle.
  • Museo Naval de Montevideo (Montevideo, Uruguay)
    • Collections: Displays the massive anchor and rangefinder salvaged from the wreck of the Admiral Graf Spee.

3. The Battle of St. Pierre (Battle of the Nive)

  • Date: December 13, 1813
  • War: Peninsular War (Napoleonic Wars)
  • General Location: Saint-Pierre-d’Irube, near Bayonne, France
  • Geographic Coordinates: 43°29′00″N 1°28′00″W
  • Cause: Following Wellington’s crossing of the Nive River, the French Marshal Soult launched a counter-offensive to crush the isolated British wing commanded by General Rowland Hill.
  • Result: Anglo-Portuguese victory. General Hill’s troops, though outnumbered, held off Soult’s attacks until reinforcements arrived, ending the French threat in the immediate area.
  • Recommended Book: The Peninsular War: A New History by Charles Esdaile
Paintings & Artwork
  • Painting/Print: The Battle of St. Pierre (Watercolour/Print)
    • Artist: William Heath
    • Year: c. 1815–1820 (Heath produced a famous series of martial achievements of the British Army).
  • Painting: The Battle of the Nive
    • Artist: Thomas Jones Barker
    • Year: c. 1870s
Museums with Artifacts
  • Wellington Museum (Apsley House) (London, United Kingdom)
    • Collections: Contains the Duke of Wellington’s personal effects, batons, and art collection, including pieces related to his Peninsular campaigns.
  • Musée de l’Armée (Les Invalides) (Paris, France)
    • Collections: Holds extensive Napoleonic era uniforms, weapons, and personal items belonging to Marshal Soult and other French commanders of the campaign.

Books for sale

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Contact Information

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Tags: military museum, military artwork, battles, Civil War, American History, Virginia History, WWII, Naval History, Napoleonic Wars, Military Art

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The history of John Browning and his guns with Nathan Gorenstein

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Nathan Gorenstein the guns of john moses browning

The history of John Browning and his guns with Nathan Gorenstein

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2UUJ2Jy

Interview Timeline

Nathan Gorenstein is a former reporter and editor for The Philadelphia Inquirer, where he covered city and state politics. He is also the author of Tommy Gun Winter, the story of a Boston gang from the 1930s that included an MIT graduate, a minister’s daughter, and two of Gorenstein’s own relatives. He recently published a biography of John Moses Browning. We spoke about Browning and the history of firearms. The Guns of John Moses Browning: The Remarkable Story of the Inventor Whose Firearms Changed the World (Scribner, 2021)

0:40 – Nathan talks about why he wrote a book on Browning.

3:00 – Nathan talks about having been a reporter.

4:40 – Nathan talks about the gun industry and Browning.

6:47 – Nathan talks about Browning’s early life and education.

11:58 – Nathan talks about the quantities the Browning’s made their guns in and how they ran their business.

14:37 – Nathan talks about why Browning’s designs stood out.

18:14 – Nathan talks about Browning’s competitors.

21:44 – Nathan talks about the popularity of Browning’s guns.

26:41 – Nathan talks about the wars Browning’s guns were used in.

29:45 – Nathan talks about Browning’s guns being adapted for aircraft.

32:21 – Nathan talks about unusual Browning designs.

36:22 – Nathan talked about Browning’s personal interest in shotgun.

37:45 – Nathan talks about the resources he used.

42:47 – Nathan talks about the things that surprised him.

46:00 – Nathan wonders what Browning might think of modern gun use.

47:40 – Nathan talks about Browning’s wife.

48:52 – Nathan talks about Winchester.

55:39 – Nathan can be found at NathanGorenstein.com

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2UUJ2Jy

https://www.simonandschuster.com/search/books/Author-Nathan-Gorenstein/Imprint-Scribner/_/N-1z0xemrZ1z13w0e/Ne-pgt

http://www.nathangorenstein.com/

Contact Information

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify Please see historyrabbithole.com for a list of my dozen or so blogs and podcasts. You’re sure to find something you like.

Guests: Nathan Gorenstein

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: Books, audio interviews, author, podcast, Scribner, American history, WWII,

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2UUJ2Jy

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Medal of Honor recipient Jack Jacobs discusses the Vietnam War and his US Army career

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Jack Jacobs Medal of Honor If Not Now When

Medal of Honor recipient Jack Jacobs discusses the Vietnam War and his US Army career

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/3d8G4Y1

Interview Timeline

Colonel Jack Jacobs (US Army, Retired) retired from the Army as a full Colonel in 1987. He is a widely regarded military analyst and serves on a number of charitable boards of directors. He served in Vietnam and was awarded a Medal of Honor for an action in his first of two combat tours. We spoke about the Vietnam War, the medal, and the US Army. If Not Now, When?: Duty and Sacrifice in America’s Time of Need (Berkley Hardcover, 2008)

0:40 – Jack talks about why he joined the US Army.

2:33 – Jack talks about being an 11B and joining the Airborne.

3:20 – Jack talks about going to Vietnam.

4:52 – Jack talks about when and where he served in September.

6:45 – Jack talks about how they’d deploy as advisors.

8:03 – Jack talks about living with the Vietnamese troops.

8:54 – Jack talks about the strengths and weaknesses of the Vietnamese forces.

13:43 – Jack talks about Vietnamese units.

15:29 – Jack talks about being in the front lines.

17:36 – Jack talks about the event that led to the award of the Medal of Honor.

22:13 – Jack talks about the possible spies among friendly forces.

23:02 – Jack talks about support for the unit.

24:21 – Jack talks about Navy gunships supporting his unit.

25:15 – Jack talks about the ambush where he was wounded.

27:03 – Jack provides details about the ambush.

28:32 – Jack talks about what he thought when the ambush occurred.

30:31 – Jack talks about emotions in combat.

32:03 – Jack talks about the length of the engagement and his wound.

33:20 – Jack talks about medical care on the battlefield.

34:43 – Jack talks about operating while wounded.

36:04 – Jack details how he learned about his Medal of Honor.

38:04 – Jack talks about his emotions about the medal.

40:15 – Jack talks about the paperwork for his medal.

40:46 – Jack talks about awards for other members and how some have been denied.

43:05 – Jack talks about integration in the military.

43:22 – Jack talks about fighting to go back to Vietnam.

46:37 – Jack talks about his second tour and some of the battles.

47:38 – Jack talks about differences in the Vietnamese military between his first and second tours.

50:08 – Jack talks about US strategy in his second tour.

51:00 – Jack talks about his return from his second tour.

51:49 – Jack talks about his post-Vietnam military career.

52:55 – Jack talks about young cadets succeeding later in life.

54:48 – Jack talks about West Point.

56:56 – Jack talks about the US Army post-Vietnam.

59:48 – Jack talks about the Soviets in Afghanistan and China.

1:02:25 – Jack talks about meeting other Medal of Honor recipients.

1:03:54 – Jack talks about his discomfort with being a Medal of Honor recipient because of those who didn’t get one or survive.

1:05:18 – Jack talks about the books he wrote.

1:06:23 – Jack talks about a series titled “Ten Weeks” on basic training that will be coming out on Hulu.

1:08:28 – Details on the book can be found on Amazon.

1:11:59 – Jack talks about young people and military service.

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/3d8G4Y1

https://amzn.to/3j4Fu1v

Contact Information

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify Please see historyrabbithole.com for a list of my dozen or so blogs and podcasts. You’re sure to find something you like.

Guests: Jack Jacobs

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: Books, audio interviews, author, podcast, Berkley Hardcover, American history, Modern War, United States, Vietnam, Vietnam War,

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/3d8G4Y1

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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